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· Polling is where the microprocessor examines the status of the peripheral under pro-
gram control
· Interrupt-driven I/O is where the peripheral alerts the microprocessor that it’s
ready to transfer data
· DMA is where the intelligent peripheral assumes control of the system’s buses to
conduct direct transfers with primary memory.
In the polling method, the software periodically checks with the system’s I/O devices by test-
ing their READY lines. When the microprocessor finds a READY line that has been as-
serted by a peripheral device ready to conduct a data transfer, it begins Reading or Writing
data to the corresponding I/O port. The polling method is advantageous in that it is easy to
implement and reconfigure because the program controls the entire sequence of events dur-
ing the transfer. However, polling is often inconvenient because the microprocessor must be
totally involved in the polling routine and cannot perform other functions. A typical polling
operation is depicted in Figure 1.
Using the programmed I/O method to conduct data transfers, calls for the microprocessor to
alert the desired peripheral of an I/O operation by issuing its address to the address bus. The
peripheral can delay the transfer by asserting its BUSY line. If the microprocessor receives a
BUSY signal from the peripheral, it continues to perform other tasks, but periodically checks
the device until the BUSY signal is replaced by a READY signal.
In order to establish an orderly flow of data during the transfer, a number of signal ex-
changes, or handshakes, may occur between the peripheral and the system. In a simple hand
shaking arrangement, the peripheral produces a byte of data at its output register when the
microprocessor sends a Strobe (STB) signal to the peripheral. The microprocessor Reads
the word from the data bus. The microprocessor then sends an Acknowledge (ACK) signal
back to the peripheral, telling it to send the next data word. This method prevents the micro-
processor from sending or requesting data at a faster rate than the peripheral can handle. In
some systems, the handshaking routine is much more complex. An entire series of hand-
shake signals may be exchanged during the transfer of a single data word. The concept of
programmed I/O is illustrated in Figure 2.
Figure 2: Typical
Programmed I/O
Operation